Initiation
by Shadow-Phoenix-Rider
Summary: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Or in Akeelah Shepard's case, one fateful posting aboard a new ship that will soon turn her understanding of the galaxy upside down. Chapter 7: A Journey Begins. Kaidan watches over Akeelah in the med bay, and awkward thoughts begin to surface.
1. Prologue

_The Normandy is a beautiful ship. _Akeelah Shepard thought to herself, perched on a large bay window's ledge, the frigate docked in all her pride and glory. She reminded her of the old 20th century jet the Concorde, what with Normandy's curving 'neck' and the sleekness of her form, with the wings in a similar formation to the jet's 'delta' shape. However, she could see the influences the turians had on the design, and she had to admit, she rather liked it.

_And I'm serving on her. _Shepard smiled. It was a great honour, to be picked to serve on the prototype ship, but she did think it had something to do with the five lettered planet on her dossier. Akuze.

Her smile evaporated, and she rubbed at the scar on her dark tan skinned face. It stretched across her face, below her spring green eyes and above her mouth, slicing her nose almost in two. It had only been six years since that awful night, but its phantoms still followed her. At least something good had come out of it; she'd been recommended for the elite N training program, which had helped her move on, eventually coming out the other end with the N7 designation right by her class. N7 Soldier.

Shepard frowned slightly, combing a hand through her short golden brown hair. If she was not mistaken, the Normandy was sporting the same colours her armour did; black, white and red. Okay, there was more black and white than red, but it made her thoughtful, and she pressed her forehead to the window. A new ship, a new crew and team to get to know, and a new start.

"Shepard." A deep voice stirred her from her thoughts, and she looked over to see a man in his dress blues approaching her, a smile stretching across her face as she recognized him.

"Anderson." The soldier slipped from her perch to her feet, when suddenly she realized her mistake and clicked her heels, saluting. "I mean, 'sir'!"

Anderson chuckled warmly, brown eyes full of amusement.

"At ease, Commander. We only stand on ceremony onboard." He followed where her gaze had once been. "Been admiring the Normandy?"

"Yeah." Shepard nodded, settling into parade rest. "She's the prettiest ship I've ever seen."

"Millions of credits went into her, and your only comment is that she's pretty?" He said, a grin playing on his lips.

"I didn't say that was the only thing I like about her." Shepard replied, folding her arms. "I've been busy getting up to speed with the crew's dossiers and I haven't had time to get onboard."

"Any thoughts on the crew, XO?" He asked.

"Other than the fact I have a feeling you've been cherry-picking the best, I don't really know until I've met them."

"That's what I like about you, Shepard. Won't make a judgement until you've seen the facts yourself."

She smiled, shy in his admiration.

"Thank you, Anderson. I do have a concern, though."

He frowned slightly, his attention immediately captured and focus sharpened to a point.

"Shoot."

"I'm not sure about my XO post. I'm not complaining, I mean, I'm honoured you chose me, I just…" She couldn't look him in the eye, and instead looked towards the frigate in her cradle. "I don't know if I can be the best you expect from me."

"Shepard, I wouldn't have chosen you for the role if I didn't think you'd be good at it." She could feel his severe look on her skin, which made her want to squirm. "You'll do fine. I know you will." He gentled his voice, which made her look back up, just in time to catch a wry smile. "You managed your way through spec ops training and you're scared of being an Executive Officer on a frigate."

She couldn't help but grin back.

"A prototype frigate, co-designed by the turians and overseen by a Council Spectre." She pointed out. "You know, no pressure or anything."

"Says the woman who had to lead her team through enemy territory at night with barely any food in her system." He replied, trying not to look like he was enjoying their sparring.

"Neither of which had a different protein structure and I wasn't required to sort out rations. And information beyond 'don't go there because there are turrets'." She replied, folding her arms.

"You thrive under pressure, Shepard." Anderson said, returning to business. "You will be fine. But you need any help, you can always ask me."

"Okay." She nodded, opening her mouth to ask something else when she noticed someone approaching them, and not just anyone; a turian. _The Spectre?_

Anderson followed her gaze, noticing the soldier's subtle change in body language from relaxed to alert, in the way only a person who fought by her side and knew her could. He saw who it was and his posture changed too, the warmth between them quickly retracted and hidden. Shepard shifted into parade rest as she too sensed the change in the Captain's body language.

"Excuse me, Commander, I must see to business." He said. "You are free to board the Normandy at your discretion. Dismissed."

"Aye aye, Captain." Shepard replied, saluting Anderson easily. He gave her a nod and strolled over towards the turian.

She walked back over to the bay window, not wanting to spy on her superior officer's conversation. She mused over the Normandy again, reminding herself that she just had today and tomorrow before the ship would be released for her shakedown run. Might as well settle into the ship that would be her home for the foreseeable future and get to know it and the crew, though they probably wouldn't all assemble until tomorrow.

Shepard grabbed her kit bag from where she had left it by her perch and strolled away.

* * *

She'd not been exactly sure what to expect boarding the Normandy, but she couldn't help the swell of child-like curiosity as she stepped from the airlock onto the deck, which was slightly warmer and smelt like a new skycar, the fabric seats starchy and the metal gleaming and new, having not yet dulled with use. The computer screens were bright and crisp too, and Akeelah could not help but smell the credits that had been sunk into the frigate. It made her slightly uneasy about even standing there, but she shook it off.

The soldier took in the CIC with natural curiosity, sweeping her spring green eyes across the room. She wasn't too familiar with serving aboard starships, and especially not a human-turian hybrid like the Normandy was, so the fact the galaxy map was planted in the middle of the room, with the CO station perched just above it made little impact.

Shepard wasn't the only one who'd though to make an early start about settling in, and there were a few crew members wandering about, tinkering with their stations. They snapped off quick salutes as they saw her, their eyes showing the evidence of being starstruck. She gave them slight nods to ease them; she would get to know them later, when she'd managed to find a locker for her stuff.

Shepard padded downstairs, taking in the mess table, Anderson's quarters, the alignment of sleeping pods and the medical bay and she found herself thinking: _Bloody hell, this place is small. _She immediately chastised herself for thinking that; _you're on a warship, not a bloody cruise. _But still, cramped places made parts of her twist uneasily, old memories shifting sleepily.

She shook her head to clear it, wandering over to a row of lockers she assumed were personal ones. It only occurred to the Commander now that she maybe should have asked Anderson questions about the Normandy, rather than worry about whether she could live up to his expectations. She certainly could do the latter if she couldn't find the former, and the Captain would certainly chew her out for making such a bumbling mistake.

Shepard cast her gaze around idly, landing on a man with his back to her, who seemed to be doing a reccie of the Normandy, much like she was going to do once she got her gear squared away.

"Hey." She called out, and he turned towards her, thick eyebrows raised high in curiosity. "Look, this is a little embarrassing, but are these lockers personal lockers?"

He strode over to her, and she took that brief moment to take him in; brown eyes, black hair, a cluster of moles above his left eyebrow, square jaw, cleft chin, and she ran through the dossiers in her mind to try to match the face to selection of half-remembered names.

"Yeah, they are." His voice was soft and husky, as if someone had sanded the inside of his throat to make him rasp slightly yet not unpleasantly. "Personal items in these lockers, and gear in the lockers in the cargo hold."

"Alright. Thanks a lot." She smiled, nodding. "Sorry, I sound like a right dumbass. Not a good first impression, eh?"

"No, it's fine, ma'am." He replied, shaking his head with a sweet smile on his lips. "I must admit, I was a little lost around here too, at first." He scratched the back of his neck, amber eyes flicking over her face much like her eyes had done to his, trying to match her face to a memory.

"Yeah, I think we're all going to be fumbling around blind for a while." She chuckled. "The ship's small, though, so I reckon we'll get to know her soon and well."

One of his thick black eyebrows arched up.

"'Her', ma'am? You sound just like Joker." At her blank look he blinked widely, before hurriedly back-tracking. "I-I mean, Flight Lieutenant Moreau, ma'am."

Shepard couldn't resist a smile and the chuckle that wanted to bubble up through her, but she suppressed if for his benefit; the last thing he needed was his superior officer laughing at him for making an admittedly endearing mistake.

"Our helmsman, eh? Guess I shouldn't be surprised that he's already fallen for the ship. Anyone asked to come fly a prototype warship such as this one would be over the moon." She set her kit bag down to ease her shoulder. "I mean, I'm no pilot myself, but I've got to admit, she's beautiful."

"Yeah, she is." The unknown marine nodded. "Part of me is eager to find out what she's like in a fight."

"Hopefully it won't come to that, with the Normandy's stealth systems. But I gotta admit, I'm curious to her capabilities too." Shepard spoke, squinting slightly at the man before her, still unable to place a name to his face. "Anyway, I've kept you long enough. I'm sure you've got your duties to attend to."

"Of course, ma'am." He dipped his head in an affirmative, drawing back.

"Thanks again for your help." She said, turning to see to her kit bag.

"You're welcome, ma'am." His warm voice replied, getting quieter as he retreated.

Shepard realized she really should have asked his name.


	2. Beginnings

_Of course she was Commander Shepard, _Kaidan Alenko thought bitterly to himself. _Maybe the great big scar across her face would have given me the hint, but apparently not._

The lieutenant had only realized who the woman he'd been talking to was when they'd both parted company, after one of the marines had mentioned Shepard's scar. It was far too late to rectify his mistake by then, as the Commander had gone to set her armour in the cargo hold.

His duty as head of the marine detail had then reared its head and from then he'd been consumed in keeping tabs on the marines under his wing, and so he hadn't crossed paths with the Commander since.

Well, until now, that is. It was the day before the Normandy's maiden voyage, and everyone had finally assembled onboard to get to know one another, starting to practise the drills they hopefully wouldn't need and getting to know the new ship well.

Introductions were in order first, though, and Kaidan had done his best to get his detail up to snuff for the Captain, though the reputation of Anderson and Shepard had preceded them and done most of his work for him. No-one wanted to get dressed down not only by the renowned Captain Anderson, but the Sole Survivor of Akuze as well. There had been excited whispering about her which Kaidan had to quell, trying not to entertain those same thoughts about her.

The Akuze incident was only six years ago, and he, like everybody else, were aware of the circumstances. Contact with the pioneers lost, a squad sent in to investigate, and then the attack of the thresher maws, slaughtering everyone. Everyone except Shepard, who came limping home, covered in blood, acid and tears. The news had of course had a field day, but the Alliance had wisely kept Shepard out of the limelight, who was probably in no shape to be in the media's eye. Kaidan could sympathize.

He was stirred from his thoughts by the appearance of the said Commander into his vision.

She was slightly shorter than him, about five foot eleven, with a skin colour of terracotta, short brown hair ending just under her chin which took on a golden sheen under the lights, and small eyebrows of a similar colour. Her eyes were a light green, framed by large, dark eyelashes and a glimpse of eyeliner that made them rather arresting to his gaze. However, her long scar also demanded attention, thick and plump with scar and replaced tissue, her nose slightly misaligned because of it (the medic in Kaidan wondered if the cartilage had been broken by the strike that caused the scar). And if he looked closer, he could see a scattering of faint freckles across her face, just noticeable against her dusky skin.

Her eyes held a look of amusement within them.

"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, I presume?" She said, a smile tugging on her lips, which sparked one of his own.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied.

"I'm not always as flaky with names, honest." A half-chuckle slipped from her lips. "Anyway Lieutenant, I'm looking forward to working with you." She offered a hand.

"Me too, Commander." He nodded, taking the proffered hand in one of his.

In the split second their skin met, the static from Kaidan's implant that had been building up leapt eagerly into Shepard, making her yelp with surprise, jerking her hand back.

Kaidan blinked, taking a moment to understand what just happened.

"Oh, sorry ma'am, I-I should have grounded myself first, I forgot-" He began, but Shepard cut him with the shake of her head, chuckling.

"No, no it's fine, I just wasn't expecting it." She looked at him again, appraising him. "You're a biotic, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." He replied, watching her carefully. This was always the part where his commanders pulled up his L2 implant. It was in his dossier, clear as day, along with many, many psych evals. He was ready for the look they would give him, like he was a time bomb, ready to go off when their back was turned. It was an inevitability of being the biotic he was.

"I thought so; only biotics have a bite in their handshakes." Shepard said, eyes shining. "What's your specialization?"

_Hang on, what? _Kaidan ended up thinking, thrown off balance by the lack of judgment and prejudice, and found himself grasping for an answer. It must have shown in his face, because the soldier elaborated;

"I've worked with biotics before, though not enough that I'm completely used to seeing what you guys can do." She tilted her head slightly, still expecting an answer.

"I'm uh, I specialized as a sentinel, ma'am." Kaidan answered. "I also did some medical training as well." Her brows rose with interest.

"So you're a combat medic too?"

"In a way, ma'am."

She smiled.

"That's great." She glanced to Anderson, who was nearby, watching them. "I should go. I'll see you around, Lieutenant."

"Aye aye, ma'am." Kaidan replied with a nod, watching her walk over to the Captain, who seemed to be hiding a smile. He said something to the Commander, but before he could see her reaction, he was distracted by someone saying;

"Wow, I can't believe that's Commander Shepard."

Kaidan turned to see Corporal Jenkins at his side, looking after the woman with his eyes almost sparkling. Bemused, Kaidan gave a quiet snort of derision.

"Why do you say that, Corporal?" He asked, making the young man jump, and looking at the Lieutenant as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Oh sir! I um, I mean- I don't mean any disrespect, I-" Jenkins stumbled wildly before he was halted by a wave of the biotic's hand.

"I know you didn't." He said. "I was just curious as to why you thought that."

Jenkins blinked at him.

"It's Commander Shepard. You know, the woman who was the only one off Akuze?"

"I know who she is, Corporal, I do keep up with the times."

"Yeah, but she's an N7! An N7, like, the best of the best and she's on the same crew as us! A famous N7!" Jenkins continued, half sugar-high and half increasingly bewildered by Kaidan's lack of excitement.

"She didn't become an N7 without any work." He cautioned the young man. "She deserves respect and for you not to be fawning over her."

"Oh, I totally understand, sir." Jenkins nodded vigorously. "I mean, she's like, way out of my league-", Kaidan shot him a look, "n-not that I had any intentions at all!"

"I should hope not. Need I remind you about the fraternization regs?" The lieutenant spoke coolly.

"No sir. Although I would be more worried about the Commander than the regs."

Against Kaidan's will, a smile pulled at his lips.

"Yes, I wouldn't want to mess with an N7 either." He glanced at the subject in question, who was now deep in conversation with Anderson over a datapad.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what's your opinion on her, sir?" Jenkins asked.

Kaidan's brows furrowed.

"I can't just make an on the spot judgement. I barely know her." He said.

"I know, but what does your gut say about her?" Jenkins pushed. "You've at gotta have a little bit of a feeling about her. Even like a small opinion."

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, Corporal?" Kaidan said, his brow raising.

"Come on, sir. I'm just curious."

"And I'm curious to know why."

"I'm just…interested." Jenkins appeared to wither under Kaidan's gaze. "Forget it, sir. Sorry." The marine moved off, tail between his legs.

Kaidan watched him go, privately glad he'd gotten the exuberant soldier to leave, as he preferred to keep his thoughts to himself.

He hadn't been completely truthful with Jenkins; it was very difficult not to form an opinion on Commander Shepard, what with the stories about her, but he'd been careful not to let them colour his first impression of her.

However, he did hold more than a little respect for the woman; who wouldn't, after what she had survived? Aside from the scar, there didn't seem to be any other outward impacts of her experience. She carried herself with confidence, without a drop of arrogance, and somehow she managed to both blend in to her surroundings and demand respect at the same time.

He hadn't recognized her when he met her on the lower deck, but Kaidan found himself liking her. She hadn't known him, but had been as warm as if they had, and that hadn't changed when they'd properly introduced themselves to one another.

And what really intrigued him was her reaction to him being a biotic. He was so used to the wary stares and hushed whispers that her even-keeled response to learning of his mutated nerves had caught him completely off guard. Instead of demanding details about his implant, she'd asked his specialization as if it was just a normal day on duty.

Against his will, he felt himself wanting to know more about the soldier, even as he chided himself for it. _She's my superior officer, she's completely off limits. Not that she'd be interested in me anyway._

Kaidan shook his head, dismissing such thoughts. He couldn't entertain them, not for a moment. Deciding he should probably find something to do to keep his mind from thinking about Shepard, he turned to go.

"Lieutenant." Anderson's voice stopped him in his tracks, and he turned to see the Captain approaching him, the Commander having vanished in the interim.

"Sir?" The older man gave him a look the biotic couldn't identify.

"You seem to have your head in the nebulae. Is there anything I should know?"

Kaidan swallowed, cursing the sensation of heat rising in his face.

"Nothing, sir. I was, uh, thinking of preparations we need to do tomorrow before Normandy leaves dock."

"The Commander and I can handle that, Lieutenant." Anderson replied.

"I didn't mean to presume anything, Captain." Kaidan said, scratching the back of his neck. "I just wanted to consider my role within those preparations."

"Of course. Do they involve the Commander, by chance?" Kaidan could have sworn Anderson's eyes were gleaming with amusement.

"No, not, not unless she wishes to involve herself within them." The biotic shifted uncomfortably.

"You should consider it, Alenko. The Commander is a very hands-on woman, and she likes to get to know her crew and the things that they do." Anderson said. "She's not your typical XO."

"No, she doesn't seem to be, sir." Anderson raised an eyebrow, prompting Kaidan to add hurriedly; "I mean, I've never encountered an officer with a record like hers."

"She is a unique woman." The Captain mused. "I have high hopes for her." His eyes bored into the younger man. "And for you too, Alenko."

"I understand, sir. I won't let you down." Kaidan nodded.

"Good. Carry on, Lieutenant." Anderson responded, walking away, leaving Kaidan more than a little concerned.

_That was…oddly specific. _He thought. _Shit, what if he thinks I have a crush on the Commander? _He rubbed his forehead. _I can't screw this up. Anderson chose me because he trusted me to be the best at the job. _

Kaidan pinched his nose, feeling a migraine start to chew on him, the slight fuzz of distortion beginning in the corner of his vision. _Just what I needed. Look, Commander Shepard is not interested in you, or anyone else on this crew. Quit it. Do your job and let her do hers. Anderson didn't choose me just to screw up because of a gorgeous woman._

_I mean pretty. I mean- oh hell._

Kaidan promptly decided to shut that line of thought down immediately, and go to that doctor (Chakwas, was it?) for something to shut his migraine down before it sunk more of its teeth into him.

He didn't notice passing Akeelah Shepard on his way down to the med bay, and that her gaze followed him until he was out of sight.


	3. Before the Storm

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Shepard could feel it deep in her gut.

And her gut was never wrong.

She'd learnt to trust it when she was still small and her only concern was where her next meal was coming from and when her foster mother's home would be available to go back to. Her mind was prejudiced, but her gut was not; it was very primal and mysteriously good at prediction. It wasn't like she was stupid, it was just in deadlocked decision, whatever feeling percolated through her body was the one she chose.

Shepard was convinced that it'd saved her on Akuze. She'd had a bad feeling, and stayed up on first watch, too jittery to sleep. Maybe that was why she survived when the maws came.

Or maybe she was just lucky. That always seemed to be a factor too.

She shook her head to clear the thoughts, and took a moment to admire the gloss on the onyx chestplate she held, with the N7 insignia stamped in the corner. This would be the first time she was going into action as an N7.

She glanced over to the two men (she assumed Jenkins was a man, but he behaved more like a boy; not that was a bad thing mind you) she was taking with her to Eden Prime. Jenkins was chattering about the mission, in tones half excited and half anxious that was typical of someone worried for their homeworld, whilst Kaidan was more focused on getting his armour on, almost as if he were in a trance. It looked like Jenkins was talking to a disinterested panther.

Shepard could relate more to Kaidan than Jenkins, buckling the chest plate onto her undersuit. Earth may be the regarded homeworld of the human race, but to Akeelah Shepard it was just a reminder of a childhood she wished she could forget. Enlisting had been her way to escape, and though she had left behind the only good thing in her life as she did so, she knew it was for the right reasons. They both did. She touched her chest, tracing a familiar pattern.

The soldier sighed and shook her head. She had to stop dwelling over those thoughts; there were other, more important things to think about. Like those vid feeds from Eden Prime; aggressive, silvery synthetics shooting anything that moved and a large, dark shape that looked just out of a nightmare. It seemed too coincidental that something would attack a peaceful human colony when the Normandy was on a mission to pick up an incredibly rare Prothean relic. But she couldn't think of who or what could be the aggressors, as they were synthetics, and the only synthetics she could think of were mechs, but they looked nothing like Eclipse mechs, so Shepard could only draw a blank, and that stirred the uncomfortable thought that something new was out there. Something new and deadly, with a very large, very creepy ship.

"So, who am I working with?" Shepard spoke, breaking through Jenkins' chatter and Kaidan's trance, causing both men to look at her. "I know you're a sentinel, Lieutenant, but I don't think I got your class, Corporal."

"I'm, I'm a soldier like you, ma'am!" Jenkins replied excitedly. "Not, not as good as you, of course." Just out of the corner of her eye, Shepard spotted Kaidan rolling his eyes, and giving the younger man a patient look.

"We're not here to hero-worship, Jenkins." Kaidan reminded him, but Shepard waved him off.

"It's alright, Lieutenant." She said.

Another soldier and a sentinel. Shepard knew her strengths were in her diverse weaponry experience and her heavy armour, allowing her to take up the enemies' attention with her endurance. As an N7 she was several levels higher than Jenkins, who despite being the same class was not likely to have the experience she had. It would be best to have him more as a scout; he could move quicker and flank their opponents whilst she kept their attention. That way the kid could have his action and gain experience in a way that wouldn't endanger him too much.

That left Alenko as support. Although she was aware of sentinels and their usual choice of tactics, this was her first time working with one in the field; most of the biotics she had trained with were adepts, just to introduce her to their abilities and such. Commanding them was another matter. However, she had a good feeling about the Lieutenant, though she had one thing she wanted to clear up, first.

"Alenko, clear me up on this. You sentinels are tech focused, aren't you?"

"Yes, Commander, that's correct" Kaidan nodded.

_Excellent._ _He has the technical expertise that both me and Jenkins lack. If we need someone to hack systems or bypass doors, he's our guy. Good. I don't like to kick in doors when we can just sneak in. _Shepard thought to herself.

_But considering the terrain, we will probably need his biotic abilities more than his technical skills…unless the beacon was moved. _She ran a hand through her hair as she walked over to the weapon lockers. _I wish I had more info. Bloody hell._

It was about the time Akeelah wished she didn't know she was going to be observed by a turian Spectre. She always brought her top performance to every mission, but an observer might not think that. Especially if that observer was a turian, and Shepard heard many stories about how straight-laced they were. So a Spectre? _What have I gotten myself into?_

The soldier opened the weapons locker, looking over the selection of weapons available. Her training allowed her to use anything in this locker, from humble pistols to the powerful sniper rifle, though right now it was folded up and gave no indication of its true length. Although she preferred to forgo the shotgun (a messy weapon that she had a bad experience with long ago), she accepted that with the field of unknowns before her, flexibility would be safer.

After she locked her weapons into place on her armour, she shook her body vigorously to make sure they would stay in place if she had to make rapid evasive manoeuvres. The clattering of the guns shifting in their locks caused the two men to look at her in surprise. She gave them a look that silenced any questioning, though the Lieutenant's eyebrow arched at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him, not unkindly.

"Lieutenant." She spoke, an undercurrent of challenge to her tone. "You seem to be just using a pistol. You not using a rifle too?"

"No, ma'am." He replied. "Never trained in them. Not standard in sentinel training."

"Really?" Shepard pursed her lips. "Huh. Seems strange to only use a pistol." She shrugged. "Ignore me. I've lived and breathed assault rifles as soon as I was bundled into training."

"Size isn't everything, Commander." Kaidan spoke smoothly. "Just because you use a big gun doesn't mean you can hit things with it."

Akeelah gave him a look that only just masked her shock, and Jenkins audibly gasped. Infuriatingly, the biotic didn't seem the less bit perturbed that he'd just ruffled his XO's feathers. In fact, he seemed faintly amused.

"Excuse me, _Lieutenant_." She enunciated his rank with a tone that instantly caused his back to straighten. "Are you questioning my accuracy with my firearms?"

"No, ma'am." He answered. "I was pointing out that whilst the rifle is larger and has more power to its shot, my accuracy with it would be vastly reduced due to my lack of experience with it. I have trained with a pistol, and therefore my accuracy would be greater with that weapon."

Akeelah's eyes narrowed at the sentinel, and she took a moment to digest the response. So, the Staff Lieutenant had teeth. A flash of heat gripped her with this revelation, but she quickly hit the brakes with it; that was fraternization, pure and simple, and they'd barely started their tour! _Down girl. He's probably just messing. I like him already, though._

"Point taken, Lieutenant." She folded her arms. "I'm glad to see you weren't blundering into the obvious trap."

Jenkins was watching this with rapt, almost slack jawed attention.

"Of course not, Commander. I would not pit myself against an N7." The biotic replied, amusement still dancing in his eyes.

"Good." She eyed the younger man. "Always choose your battles wisely, Corporal. At best, you end up on your arse with a black eye and sitting on your pride. I'm sure you can guess to the worst. Unfortunately we don't get that luxury for this mission, so listen up."

The two men stood to attention.

"Alenko, you're with me. I will need your biotic and tech skills to augment with mine. Shoot to defend yourself, but do not draw attention; that's what I'm for."

The sentinel raised an eyebrow but said nothing more than;

"Aye aye, ma'am."

"Good. Jenkins. We may be singing from the same sheet but you are not indestructible. You will be our scout; your job is to stay on your toes and mobile, and flank our opponents. You know this planet better than we do, so feel free to relay information and advice to us. As with Alenko you may engage but remember who has the heavier armour. Let them concentrate on me whilst you harass them from the side. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Jenkins replied cheerily.

"Good." The sound of the elevator drew her attention away from her squad, and a quick glance informed her that Captain Anderson and Nihlus were approaching. "Let's make the Normandy's first mission her first success, shall we?"

"Aye aye, Commander!" They replied, and with a satisfied nod, she turned to face the approaching CO and Spectre, mirroring her squad's stance.

There was a slight smile on Anderson's face, and he nodded slightly in acknowledgement, but that was all. Nihlus was watching her intently, as if trying to scope out the slightest weakness in her. The temptation to straighten her back further was overwhelming, but she resisted it; she wasn't going to let herself be intimidated, and certainly not in front of her new squad.

Akeelah vowed she would make this mission succeed, and she would prove herself, no matter what…

* * *

**Author's notes: **This chapter is mainly to display how Akeelah Shepard thinks and plans, as well as flesh out parts of her backstory for later. As you have noticed, I'm not writing the many 'recognizable' scenes; I felt they've been done to death, and it would be better to write in the spaces between them, to allow character development.

However, I will be doing some 'famous' scenes, but with my own twists, to keep it interesting and in character for Akeelah.


	4. Thunder

Despite Shepard's best efforts, the mission was not going according to plan.

Her unease on the Normandy had not faded when they were dropped on a ridge close to the excavations. In fact, it only worsened, seeing the dark clouds with deep scarlet tones that she was pretty sure Eden Prime didn't have normally. It gave her a deep feeling of dread; what were they walking into here?

It didn't help that it seemed to be deathly quiet where they were. Memories of Akuze rose unbidden in her mind, and Shepard scuffed the soil with her boot, reassuring herself that there were rocks around them; maws couldn't burrow through rock.

She guided the two men onward in silence, only broken by Jenkins advising her which paths to take. Every so often she'd check her ladar, but it stayed blank except for Jenkins' and Kaidan's blips.

It didn't take long to find the first casualties, curled up in the hopes they wouldn't be seen, holes punched into them by an unknown enemy.

The Corporal reacted appropriately, recoiling in fear-disgust, whilst the Lieutenant gently investigated.

"They bled out, Commander." He spoke. "Looks like they were hiding from something."

"And I bet that something is still around." Shepard muttered. "Stay sharp."

They continued on warily, but encountered little more than floating creatures known as 'gas bags', seemingly oblivious to the drama erupting on the planet. Despite herself, Akeelah indulged her curiosity when a creature came close, and nudged it with her rifle. It seemed remarkably unperturbed by her prodding, only shooting out a small jet of air to sedately float away from her.

"Commander?" There was an amused tone to Jenkins' voice as he addressed her.

"I was just…checking." She said, starting off again. "Never seen one before."

The young man chuckled.

"The worst thing they do is make a loud bang when they're popped. I did it once or twice when I was a kid. Thing is, they're so docile you kinda feel bad for 'em. Most people just leave them alone." He said.

Before he had a chance to say more, Shepard stopped, raising her fist. The narrow path they were on opened up into a fairly wide area, rocks jutting out of the ground to form perfect places for cover.

The relative stillness of the area made Shepard's skin crawl, and her unease got more pronounced. Something was very wrong here.

Even so, the place appeared to be clear, so she waved Jenkins to go first, gesturing towards the rocks. The sooner they got into cover, the better.

Jenkins moved out with light feet, and Shepard waited a moment before she followed, Kaidan in her wake, heading for the nearest outcropping of rock. It was then she heard something, just over the sounds of heavy footsteps and shifting armour, and she looked up.

Small drones buzzed into view, with one optic glowing white and a gun hanging beneath them, and immediately she knew it was a trap.

"Get to cover!" She shouted, sprinting the nearest rock.

The lieutenant reacted to her order, but the corporal froze in crippling shock. The biotic shouted something, snapping the soldier from his daze, but far too late. The drones turned their guns upon him, and the hail of fire cut through his shields like a hot knife through butter, his body convulsing with each shot that hit home.

"Jenkins!" Shepard cried out, her mind switching to a different circuit before it realized the full impact of what had happened. They had to take out those drones, now.

"Lieutenant?" She spoke, keeping her eyes on the drones as they tracked for their new targets.

"Here, Commander." He replied, coming from her side, the calmness in his voice reassuring. She could practically feel the experience radiating from him.

"You think you can disable those things?" She asked, peeking just over the lip of the rock. A drone swung around, and Shepard quickly darted down as she heard the bullets thud into the rock wall.

"Trying to sabotage them would take too long, Commander." He replied, Shepard feeling the hair on her arms start to stand on end as his biotics began to activate. "I can use my biotics to destroy them, though."

"Do it. The sooner we get rid of these things, the better." She growled, switching to her pistol. If those things could cut down Jenkins so easily, they could do serious damage to her, despite her heavier armour. Kaidan's barrier could stop them, but Shepard did not want to bet her staff lieutenant's life on it. "Stay safe." She warned.

"Aye aye, Commander." He replied smoothly, his body shimmering blue as he began to flare. Despite herself, she couldn't help but watch as he pulled back his hand and then pushed it forward in one smooth, practised motion, hurling the targeted drone to smash against the rock face as if it were merely a child's toy.

Shepard shook herself and popped up to shoot at the drone that now turned its attention towards the brightly lit human, smashing its optic and causing it to explode. The third one made to swing towards her, but shots to its behind caused it to plummet and rupture on the ground, exploding as it went.

The soldier stayed still for a couple of seconds as she checked for any other adversaries, relaxing only when the sentinel rumbled an 'area clear, Commander'. Immediately they went to where Jenkins lay, Kaidan's omnitool lighting up as he checked the young man for a pulse. Shepard had to bite her lip to stop herself from demanding an answer from him, trying to divert her mind by watching their six.

Kaidan's soft sigh confirmed her fears, and she looked back to see him gently closing the young man's eyes, the simple ritual causing her heart to clench.

"Ripped right through his shields." He said, bringing himself back up to a stand. "Never stood a chance." He looked at her then, and though he seemed to have compartmentalised the death, Shepard swore she could see a glimmer of pain in his eyes.

"Yeah." She replied. "Must have been disruptor ammo." She shook her head. "We'll need to be extra careful they don't catch us out. I'll make sure he gets a proper service when we get back, but I need you to stay focused."

"Aye aye, ma'am." He nodded, the pain in his eyes now gone. "Ready when you are."

Shepard looked down at the still body of the once energetic young man, giving herself a moment to mourn before she turned and led Kaidan away.

* * *

"Commander!" Kaidan barked, watching a trio of silvery shapes chase a sole marine in white and pink armour.

"I see them." Shepard growled, bringing her rifle to bear. It chattered loudly, causing the nearest mech to pause as the rounds thudded into its chassis. The other two flicked what passed as their heads up to track the attack, their single white optic light locking onto them. In that moment she was moving, and Kaidan followed, as if they were following a script of music.

The mechs went for her first, ignoring him and their previous target, who quickly scooted behind cover before turning their own weapon against their pursuers. Kaidan joined the chorus of gunfire and the mechs fell quickly, seemingly confused by the sudden attack. It was hard to imagine those same mechs had killed the Private not moments ago. He scowled, moving to join Shepard as she hurried over to the marine.

"Thanks for your help. I didn't think I was going to make it." The woman said as they got close, looking between them. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You the one in charge here, ma'am?"

Kaidan briefly wondered how Williams could tell, before he remembered the bloodstripe running down Shepard's right arm. It was always safe to assume an N7 was in charge of a situation. Shepard gave a terse nod.

"Are you hurt, Williams?"

"A few scrapes and burns, but nothing serious." Williams shook her head. "The others weren't so lucky."

"What happened?" Shepard prompted, with surprising gentleness.

"Oh man…We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call, but I think they jammed our comms. We tried to double back to the beacon, but we walked into an ambush." She looked down. "I don't think any of the others…I think I'm the only one left…"

Kaidan looked at Shepard as she stepped forward, resting a hand on Ashley's shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself, Williams. You couldn't have done any more to have saved them." The Commander spoke, and the biotic noticed a dullness to her green eyes. _You've said to yourself before. _Ashley looked back the soldier, her face composed once more.

"Yes, ma'am. We held our position as long as we could. Until the geth overwhelmed us."

"Geth?" The biotic spoke, now completely focused on the conversation. "They haven't been outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years? Why are they here now?"

"Geth? You'll have to fill me in, Lieutenant, Chief." Shepard said, looking from one to another, and Williams raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"We don't know much about them, only a passing mention in school. They're synthetics, created by the quarians as a form of cheap labour." Kaidan said.

"Well, they were, but they were given AI, and not surprisingly they turned on the quarians and drove them into exile." Ashley added. "This was a few centuries ago, until now they've been behind the Perseus Veil and no-one's heard much about them."

"Until now." The sentinel's thick brows furrowed. "They must have come for the beacon."

"But why?" Shepard wondered aloud. Without waiting for an answer, she addressed Ashley again. "What do you know of the beacon?"

"A few weeks ago they unearthed it and some Prothean ruins whilst they were doing some digging to extend the monorail and expand the colony." She explained. "Every scientific expert in the colony was interested when it turned up, and that's when they brought us in to secure the site. I don't know much about the beacon itself, but I heard the researchers say this could be the biggest scientific discovery of the century."

"Do you know what happened to the researchers?" Shepard asked. Kaidan paced watchfully, unable to relax.

"I don't know. Their camp was near the beacon, and the 232 was with them. Maybe their unit fared better than mine did."

"Maybe." There was a note of uncertainty to the older woman's voice. "Tell me about the attack."

"We were sent from the main colony a couple of nights ago to secure the area. Seemed like a routine patrol, until the geth hit us." She shook her head. "We never saw them coming."

"I can sympathize." The Commander muttered. "Where is the dig site?"

"Not far, just over that rise." Ashley said, pointing to the hill before them, pale oblong colony blocks just peeking above the rocks. "I think the beacon might still be there."

Shepard nodded, and Kaidan thought she was about to move out. He was confident in her abilities, but something about the situation made him feel edgy and cautious, and so he took a risk.

"Commander," he began, and immediately her light green eyes alighted on him, "maybe we should consider taking the Chief with us. She knows the area, and we could use the extra firepower."

Williams looked him and then at Shepard, who regarded him steadily for a few moments before she said:

"Lieutenant, if you were thinking I was just going to leave the Gunnery Chief here on her own, then we need to have a little chat about our understanding of one another."

The biotic had begun to formulate a reply to carefully point out that he was offering a constructive opinion, when he noticed a grin pull at the corner of her lips. He realized then that she was teasing him. Though he felt mildly nettled that he'd been fooled, Kaidan had to admit he felt inordinately pleased. He returned her smirk with a half-smile of his own, as she turned back to the marine.

"Welcome aboard, Williams."

"Aye aye ma'am." Ashley said, nodding her head and tightening her grip on her rifle. "It's time for some payback."

Shepard nodded too, the brief spark of playfulness gone.

"Let's move out." She ordered, starting off again.

"Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko." He introduced himself as Ashley took up position next to him. "Glad to have you on the team."

"Glad to be here." She replied, before she hesitated, talking to the black armoured back in front of her. "I didn't get your name, ma'am."

"Commander Akeelah Shepard." Was the answer.


	5. Long Shot

Even with Ashley's help, the mission did not improve. In fact, it continued its nosedive, and Kaidan wondered when it would reach the FUBAR level, what with dead civilians and soldiers impaled on metal spires that turned them into zombies (or husks, as Ashley had called them), the beacon moved and unaccounted for, and Nihlus dead. Something nagged at the biotic that this seemed too…much for a random attack, but he didn't entertain the thought with more pressing concerns at hand.

He ducked down behind a cargo container as bullets pinged against the floor beside him, the alien electronic tones of the geth sounding out around him. Ashley cursed somewhere off to his right, and he thought he heard Shepard shout, sneaking a peek over the lip of his cover to see her barrel headfirst into a white geth, slamming her rifle back first into its lamp eye.

Kaidan had to remember to close his mouth and fire at another geth trying to get past the barricade that was Shepard, blocking access up the ramp to the two marines.

"Watch yourself, Commander!" Ashley barked as a red geth appeared, crouching down and taking aim with a gun, which had a suspiciously large barrel.

"I have it, Chief." Kaidan said, his omnitool flaring to life and his fingers dancing across the interface. In one smooth movement, he linked it into the gun's processes and executed the hacking routine. The geth startled as the gun's core promptly overheated, and Ashley unleashed a rain of bullets that soon had the synthetic keeling over with a keening whistle.

The victory was short-lived, however, as a bullet slammed into the sentinel's shields and shorted them out with a pop. Another bullet grazed Kaidan's shoulder as he quickly ducked down, not wanting to join Jenkins on the casualty list. A feminine outburst of rage made him look back, just in time to see Shepard shoulder barge the attacking geth over, another backing up apparently in fear.

"I told you, eyes on _me_!" She snarled, quickly shooting out the downed geth and the one that tried to get into a better position away from her.

"Clear for now, Commander!" Ash called out, Kaidan rising with her to join the other woman at the bottom of the ramp. She immediately turned to him as he approached, eyes resting on the graze on his dark armour plating.

"How are you holding up, Lieutenant?" She asked. "I saw your shields go down."

"I'm fine, Commander. Will take some time to recharge, though." He replied, watching her light eyebrows furrow slightly.

"I can help with that. Link your suit computer with mine; I'll show you a little trick I learnt in spec ops." The Commander said, her omnitool lighting up around her hand and arm, Kaidan's following suit.

"A bit forward, don't you think?" The younger woman grinned. "First comes the linkage, then the seals, then-"

"No, Chief. The seals come first, then the suit linkage." Shepard corrected, typing an algorithm on her 'tool. "Trust me, I dated a guy sometime after Basic, and that was how it rolled."

"Really?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Let's just say it didn't work out and I was very glad for the transfer." Shepard explained. "Accept the request please, Lieutenant."

"Aye aye." He nodded, watching the diagnostics run as Shepard's computer linked with his. From what he could tell at a glance, they shared an operating system, but hers had more processing power behind it.

"Didn't have you pegged for someone who fraternized." The Gunnery Chief commented. Shepard shrugged.

"I don't, not any more. He was the only military guy I dated, and civvy relationships never lasted long." She said, concentrating on the numbers scrolling by on her arm.

"I get that." Ash nodded, as did Kaidan. They'd all been there.

A soft droning whine sounded out, and to Kaidan's surprise, his shield emitters fired back to life, his shield popping back around him in a rush that had his mutant nerves tingling. He must have pulled a face, as Shepard chuckled, her light green eyes flashing with mirth.

"N7 soldiers have spare shield capacitor. We can draw on it in emergencies to restore our shields without delay. An engineer friend in training showed me how to use it to give others a boost instead."

"Thank you, Commander." The sentinel said. "But won't you need it later?"

A shadow passed over her features so briefly he thought it was the trick of the light.

"I'm not going to lose any more people here." She replied. "I will be fine." She looked up at a sound behind her. "The train's coming back in. This is our ride to the beacon; we better let the geth know about the replacement bus service." The Commander's grin faded at the two marine's blank faces. "It's…It's a British joke. Whatever. Forget I said anything."

"Aye aye ma'am!" Ashley replied, sniggering. Kaidan shook his head, disconnecting his suit computer from Shepard's.

They got into position behind some cargo crates as the train came in, a vanguard of geth platforms on it, ready for battle.

"I don't like the look of the one at the back, Skipper." Said Ashley, gesturing to the large, imposing black and gold geth at the back.

"No, he looks like he means business." Shepard replied. "But I have an idea. Cover me."

With that, Shepard swapped weapons, taking out her sniper rifle. At her gesture, Kaidan Threw the geth guarding the entrance onto the transport onto the electrified tracks below, allowing them to sneak on, Shepard settling onto the end, propping the long barrel of her weapon on top of the raised sections of the train.

"Alright, marines. Let an old pro show you how it's done." The soldier said, resting herself in a comfortable position.

After a moment to aim, the sniper rifle bucked against her shoulder, the loud shot sounding out as a silver geth's eye promptly shattered and it crumpled lifelessly to the ground. The rest immediately began to advance, including the large one at the back, albeit at a slower pace.

"Commander…" Kaidan warned, feeling his biotics prickle instinctively and Ashley tense at his side.

"Trust me." Shepard replied, and took another shot, another geth softly shrieking as it tumbled to the ground. The one next to it hesitated, and the soldier's follow up shot made its head jerk comically, as if it had been slapped. The large geth sped up from a slow trudge to a jog as the hit geth fell.

"Trust me." She repeated, as if sensing his unease. She trained her sights on the advancing juggernaut and went still. Twenty metres, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, and Shepard seemed to be frozen in time, focused entirely on the black and gold synthetic. _Do something! _Kaidan's body cried out, his flight or fight instincts screaming at him. But he trusted Shepard. He trusted her and waited.

Fifteen metres.

_BOUM_!

The rifle's bellow shattered the silence and the geth jerked as the bullet slammed into its upper body, causing it to stumble. Shepard fired again and its head snapped back in angle that made Kaidan's blood chill, and the large synthetic came crashing down, sliding into a heap before them.

"Whew." Shepard sighed, switching back to her assault rifle and rubbing her forehead. "I thought that wasn't going to work for a second and I'd have to get you two to clean up my mistake."

"Yeah, could've given us some warning you were going to do that." Ashley said.

"Hmm. Could have been messy." Kaidan nodded. Shepard shrugged.

"You're right, sorry. But in my defence, you're both very capable marines. You could have easily taken that guy down if I screwed up." She said, striding to the control console.

"We'd have had a better chance if it wasn't right on top of us, you know!" The younger woman retorted, grinning.

"I know, I know. Anyway, we better get to the beacon before this 'Saren' guy gets his hands on it." Shepard spoke as the train pulled out of the cargo dock, towards the spaceport.


	6. Bolt from Beyond

"Demolition charges!" Kaidan cried out as the cargo train approached the station. "The geth must have set them!"

Shepard followed his finger towards the cylindrical object planted by the support struts, and frowned.

"Godamnit. We'll need to disarm them ASAP. Alenko!" She barked, glancing at the sentinel. "We'll cover you!"

"Aye aye ma'am." He nodded.

"Company!" Ashley shouted, as the geth made the electronic warbling they'd come to recognize as the synthetic's battle cry, targeting the group as the train came to a halt.

"Go, focus on the bomb." Shepard urged, giving the biotic an encouraging shove in the right direction.

Kaidan hurried over to the bomb, crouching down beside it with his omnitool activated. Shepard and Ashley closed rank around him, firing as they went, making the geth pay for every step they took.

A soft hiss and mechanical clicking signalled Kaidan's success, and he added his biotics to their attacks, flinging a red geth shrieking to its death on the electrified tracks below.

"Need to move, Commander." He rasped. "There are three other ones here."

"How can you tell?" Ashley demanded.

"The Lieutenant can explain when we're safe." Shepard interrupted. "Someone needs to tell the Captain what happened here."

Neither marine argued with that point and quickly dashed for the second bomb, both soldiers forming a human wall to protect the sentinel as he worked. Shepard eyed the bridge to the main area of the space port dubiously, watching the geth moving in on the other side.

"This is gonna get messy." She grunted, shifting her grip on her rifle.

"Yeah. Who knows how many geth that squid ship dropped off." Ash said, blasting a group of drones out of the sky. "If we see of those big geth whilst we're on that bridge, we're not going have a good time."

"You're telling me." Shepard sighed, lining up her sights along the bridge with Ash's.

A big geth did indeed turn up, this time a solid red one, instead of black and gold, like they'd seen before.

"Oh fuck me." Shepard groaned. "Lieutenant?"

"Almost there, Commander!" Kaidan replied.

"Can't you just snipe him?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not off the cuff; I'm not an Infiltrator. We'll just have to fill him full of lead. Ready?" Shepard said, looking to the woman at her side.

"You bet your ass I am." She nodded, smiling grimly.

The women positioned themselves on the bridge as a human blockade, and at Shepard's cry, they unleashed hell at the geth, which began its charge down towards them. The rifles began to heat beneath their gauntlets, but they didn't stop, the geth's shields breaking as it reached halfway.

"Come on, you son of a bitch!" Ashley roared.

"Just a little longer, come on…" Akeelah muttered, eyeing her rifle's heat monitor, the final bar flashing rapidly before it became solid, the rifle locking up and the soldier cursing. "Fuck! Alenko!"

Before the sentinel could respond, the younger woman threw something from her belt, the object attaching itself to the geth's chest. The synthetic's pace hesitated for a moment, only a yard from being on top of them, before the object detonated, ripping the geth's chassis apart and causing it to tumble harmlessly to the ground with a shriek.

Shepard heaved a sigh of relief, shaking her head.

"Thank God. That was very well done, Williams." She grinned. "You just saved our hides."

"You're welcome, ma'am." The younger marine grinned back.

They both cast a look at Kaidan, who shook his head.

"Sorry. Made a mistake during the disarm, had to correct so it wasn't going to detonate during disposal." He explained. Shepard nodded.

"Worked out in the end. We should move, there are still two other bombs primed."

The other two bombs were much easier than the first two, with the geth in smaller numbers, and less aggressive than before, if not a bit slower and cautious as well. Despite their caution, they were quickly wiped out by Ashley and Shepard.

"All bombs disarmed, Commander." Kaidan said, a half smile playing on his lips.

"Great work, everyone." Shepard nodded. "Now let's see if the beacon is still here, and hopefully undamaged."

The two marines nodded, and followed the Commander onto the main docking platform. They were ambushed by a collection of husks and two geth soldiers as they turned the corner, the final vanguard between them and their goal. They were dispatched with contemptible ease.

"That's the beacon, Commander," Ashley said, pointing to the tall, cylindrical artifact sitting at the edge of the platform. It was glowing an eerie, foggy green, and was clearly alien to its surroundings, its curved lines at odds with the straight-lined architecture around it. Something fluttered in Akeelah's gut, but she pushed it aside. She hadn't got time to admire alien technology.

"Good. Looks undamaged too." Shepard turned away and lifted her hand to her ear. "Normandy, the beacon is secure. Requesting immediate evac."

"Roger, ground team. Stand by for pick-up, ETA 10 minutes." Anderson replied.

"Roger, Normandy. Standing by." Shepard said. She turned to regard Ashley's approach, noticing Kaidan observing the beacon out of the corner of her eye.

"You got a ride?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, the Normandy's coming to pick us up." She watched the younger soldier carefully. "You best come with us. The Captain would like to get your side of the story."

Ashley opened her mouth to reply, when her eyes widened, and there was a sharp grunt of surprise that sounded out behind the Commander. Shepard spun around to see Kaidan being dragged towards the beacon by invisible hands, his feet desperately scrabbling his feet against the metal floor in an attempt to arrest his movement, hands grasping thin air.

Akeelah was moving before her brain said hello to her legs, reaching the sentinel's side in a couple of strides. He jerked like a puppet with strings, his unseen master trying to pull him into a pose. Shepard wrapped her arms around his waist, using all her strength to heave him clear, Ash quickly coming to his aid as he tumbled to the floor.

Of course, this left her in front of the beacon alone, and she instantly felt that same pull grip her, like a biotic Pull, but with more…probing fingers. Was it searching her?

She didn't have time to ponder it further, as suddenly she was yanked into the air, body pulled into a pose with her arms outstretched and her back arched, and she felt hot needles at her eyes and then-

_A blur of images and noise, so much noise, a trumpeting roar unlike anything she's ever heard, shaking her down to her core. Screams, howls, hissing, she thinks she sees flesh being contorted into machinery, but there's too much, too intense, it hurts! Death, destruction, everything burning and her head searing as if it was going to burst and she's got hot pokers in her eyes. Shepard grinds her teeth tightly against the onslaught because surely it had to end soon, surely, surely-_

Everything exploded into white.

* * *

"This is amazing! Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!" Kaidan breathed, looking the beacon up and down with wide eyes.

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." Ashley said, turning away to Shepard behind them.

"Something must have activated it…" He murmured, stepping forward. His cautious side reminded him that it was best not to touch something unknown and alien, but for some reason he felt compelled to take another step.

He felt something ghost across his mutant sixth sense for just a second, and then the pull took a hold of him, with an an almost incomprehensible strength. Kaidan let out a strangled cry for help, trying to dig his boot tread into the metal floor or something that would slow down the attraction the beacon had upon him.

Probing needle fingers crawled across his face, burning into his screwed up eyes and ears, before tugging at his body-

Suddenly, there were arms around his waist and a body bracing against him, the beacon's grip thrown off by the second person. The person tensed and hurled him clear, the hot needles torn away and replaced by the comforting thump of flooring and correct gravity.

Kaidan sat up to see Ashley by his side, and he turned around to see Shepard by the beacon, trying to resist its pull as futilely as he had. To his horror, it yanked her up off the ground, pulling her into the pose it had tried to force him into moments before.

"Shepard!" He cried, lunging for her but stopped by Ash's hold on him.

"No! Don't touch her! It's too dangerous!" She said, holding him back even as he reached in a half-hearted attempt to Pull her to safety. Though the beacon held her firmly, he could see her body twitch and fingers clench, and the tide of helplessness that swept over him almost drowned him.

Without warning, the beacon suddenly exploded, throwing Shepard and its fragments over the platform. Kaidan instinctively flared to protect him and Ashley, the commander hitting the floor before them with a thud, her limbs limp and unresisting.

"Shepard!" Ashley called, but the soldier did not respond, her body still.

Kaidan scrambled away from the younger woman to Shepard, heart beating almost out of his chest. _Please don't be dead, God no, please…_ He clawed at the locks on his gauntlets, pulling his bare hand out to feel her neck, searching for a pulse. After a few moments of building panic, he felt a very soft beat under her smooth skin, and he sighed with relief.

"Is she okay?" Ashley asked, kneeling down next to him as he gently turned the unconscious Shepard onto her back.

"I don't know." He admitted. "But she has a pulse." The sentinel dipped his ear to her nose and mouth. "Some breath." He pulled his gauntlets back on, staring at his commander's chestplate, unable to meet her face. "Do we know if the Normandy's en route?"

"Yeah, but I don't know when it's gonna arrive. She didn't have a chance to tell me." The Gunnery Chief replied.

"Okay." Kaidan took a moment to collect himself, holding back the chaos in his head. "I'll need to update the Captain." Ashley nodded as he activated his comm. "Come in, Normandy."

"Lieutenant? What's happened?" Anderson's tone belied his concern.

"We, we have a problem." The sentinel rubbed his face. "Captain, the beacon's destroyed and the Commander…" He shook his head. "She's unconscious and she needs medical aid ASAP."

"We're two clicks from your position, Lieutenant." Anderson said, almost emotionlessly, but Kaidan felt the guilt gnaw at him anyway.

"Roger, Normandy." He murmured, letting his hand fall. "Normandy will be here soon. Help me with her."

Ashley joined Kaidan as the sky filled with the sound of Normandy's engines, the frigate emerging from between the clouds. Ashley removed the Commander's weapons, and Kaidan picked her up, troubled by her limpness. This was wrong, and it was all his fault…

Kaidan looked up at the sound of the cargo door opening, two marines with a stretcher and Captain Anderson appearing as the Normandy carefully manoeuvred towards the platform. As soon as the ramp touched, the marines jogged towards the ground team, Ashley helping lay the Commander down and secure her.

"Take her to the med bay, ASAP." Anderson ordered. "You, marine," he glanced to Ashley, "go with her, help the doctor with her."

"But-" Ashley began, but Anderson fixed her with a steely look.

"Go."

The Gunnery Chief didn't argue further, jogging after the stretcher bearers. The Captain then rounded on Kaidan with one question:

"What the hell happened?"


	7. A Journey Begins

Kaidan gave as much information to Anderson as he could in his debriefing. The older man was difficult to read, but he didn't think the Captain was angry at him. Or if he was, his concern for the Commander outweighed it.

After he was dismissed, the sentinel had kept himself busy with his mission report and officially replacing Williams into Jenkins' post. He tried not to think too deeply into either task, though he was glad Anderson was keeping her on. The loss of the corporal gnawed at him, and when it wasn't, worry about the Commander replaced it. The concerns eventually got to him enough that the tell-tale 'static' started to creep into the corner of his vision, and Kaidan cursed softly. He made his way to the med bay, keeping to the shadows to avoid the lights, which would shift from a gentle glow to a piercing glare.

The bay was mercifully quiet, with only the subtle beeps of a heart rate monitor and the eternal thrum of the drive core in the background. Kaidan's attention turned towards the figure the monitor was attached to with long trailing wires, lying still in the medical cot.

"Ah, Alenko." Doctor Chakwas spoke from his fuzzy vision side. "Here for your migraines?"

"Yeah. Just starting up." He replied, only glancing to the doctor before looking back to the Commander as his right side of vision also began to be swallowed by the blur. "Is she okay?

"Yes and no." The doctor said, collecting a syringe from a drawer and opening the fridge. "Full dose or the half?"

"Full, please. Don't think Captain will want to do anything until the Commander wakes up." Kaidan muttered, wincing as the beeps began to needle his temples. "Can you turn it down, please?"

"Of course. On the bed." The sentinel tilted his head in the barest hint of a nod, gingerly settling onto the cot next to Shepard. _Just to keep her company _he explained it to himself. Chakwas went to the monitor, silencing its noise except in an emergency, before going to Kaidan. If it weren't for the peaks and troughs on the ECG and the big numbers in soft green, the biotic wouldn't have been sure the soldier wasn't dead with how still she was.

"She's physically fine, aside from cuts and bruises." Chakwas said, as if reading his mind. "Mentally, however, she's in a coma."

Kaidan swallowed hard, forcing back a wave of nausea, though from what, he couldn't tell.

"Will she…?"

"The prognosis is good. She appears to be dreaming at intervals, so I'm confident she will eventually wake." Chakwas explained, filling the syringe with the clear liquid. "Which arm?"

"Left," he replied. "The bad one."

"I don't think a troublesome vein will stop me, Lieutenant." Chakwas grinned.

True to her word, she got it first time, despite Kaidan's oversensitive skin resenting the intrusion. Thankfully, it didn't take long for blessed oblivion to overtake him.

* * *

Kaidan surfaced from his medical slumber some hours later, blinking blearily at the ceiling, and more than a little grateful for a cease to the throbbing in his head.

"Decided to rejoin us, Alenko?" Chakwas asked, appearing into his line of sight with a glass of water.

"Yeah. Thank you." He sat up gingerly, taking a long drink to wet his dry mouth. A glance to his left informed him that the Commander was still in her medical cot, still asleep, or in a coma, or something. A cold chill gnawed at his heart.

"She's still not come 'round?" He asked. The doctor shook her head.

"No." Kaidan turned the empty cup in his hands, not wanting to voice the concern they both felt. The hours were adding up, going past 'unsettling' and entering 'genuinely concerning'. The biotic felt ill. _If I hadn't gone near that beacon, none of this would have happened. I'm the reason Commander Shepard is never going to wake up ever again._

"Nothing better to do?" Chakwas asked kindly, breaking his train of thought.

"No." He replied, setting his cup aside, trying to ignore the guilt gnawing at him.

"Alright. You can stay until the Captain says otherwise. Besides, the company might do her good."

With that, she went to sit at her terminal, and Kaidan scooted to the edge of his cot, taking a closer look at Akeelah Shepard.

In her current condition, she seemed small and harmless, but Kaidan knew that was an illusion, having seen her in combat not many hours before. That sent uncomfortable thoughts about her athletic skill running through his head which he decided were not best pursued.

He distracted himself by wandering his eyes over her face, pausing on the large scar slicing across it. It was hard to ignore, as long and puckered as it was, and it gave her a hard, violent look. Yet considering how gently she convinced the frightened farmers and dock worker to hand over smuggled goods, and the humour she'd had despite the circumstances, appearances were deceptive. He wondered what could have caused such an injury.

"Thresher maw, I would have thought." Chakwas's voice made Kaidan jump. "How she survived such a close encounter with one with nothing but a few scratches and burns is almost a miracle. If you believe such things."

"Some reason why she survived Akuze." The sentinel murmured. He spotted a patch of skin on her arm that was distorted and wrinkled, paler than the surrounding pigment, and utterly devoid of hair. An acid burn, he realized, and a chill went down his spine. He remembered the ghoulish media reports of the thresher maws' acid being able to burn through armoured vehicles. He couldn't imagine having that acid burning against your skin.

_And she survived that to get put into a coma by her Staff Lieutenant, who didn't think not to touch the glowing alien artifact. _Kaidan thought bitterly to himself. _This is no way to go. _

As he watched her, he noticed Shepard twitch; a flutter of movement under her eyelids. He tensed, hardly daring to hope; Chakwas had said she was occasionally dreaming. Another flicker of eye movement, and this time her fingers twitched. Then her body shifted, the ECG beeping as the once steady tempo began to increase, wakefulness spreading through the Commander's body.

"Doctor! Doctor Chakwas!" Kaidan cried. "I think she's waking up."

Shepard groaned, her expression contorting into one that looked reminiscent of someone with a thumping headache, and her eyes opened slowly, blinking hard to clear away the blur. The biotic slipped off his cot, relieved beyond belief as she slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes, smudging her mascara as she did.

"You had us worried there, Shepard." Chakwas said, a smile playing on her lips as she removed the electrodes from her skin. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a krogan after shore leave." Akeelah grumbled, glaring at the dark smears on her fingers. Kaidan was pleased to hear her humour had stayed. "My head's still throbbing. How long was I out for?"

"About fifteen hours. Something happened with the beacon, I think?" The doctor said, glancing to the biotic. He steeled himself, stepping forward to catch her attention.

"It's my fault. I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way."

Shepard shook her head carefully, probably in an attempt to not encourage the pounding in her skull.

"No, it isn't. You had no idea that the beacon was going to do that." She said softly, green eyes gleaming in the dim light.

Kaidan was taken aback, but pleased she didn't consider him her undoing. She'd practically saved him from her ordeal, one he wasn't sure his implant could have taken, and she'd leapt to his aid without a second thought. A smile spread across his lips, his heart doing a funny little flip in his chest.

"More importantly," Shepard continued, "what happened to the beacon? Have we got it?" She looked between him and Chakwas. Kaidan sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"The beacon exploded," he said, her eyes widening in alarm. "A system overload, maybe. The blast knocked you cold. Williams and I had to carry you back to the ship."

"Thanks." A small smile graced her lips. "Any damage I should know about, doctor?"

"Physically, you're fine." Chakwas said, handing the Commander a datapad. Kaidan noticed she gave it a very intense stare, as if she was really concentrating on the words. "But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves. I also noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with dreaming."

Shepard handed it back, her brows furrowed.

"I was dreaming, though it was more like a nightmare. There was death, destruction, but…" She shook her head. "I dunno. Nothing was clear."

The soldier's expression was troubled, as if worried she was missing something, and the biotic couldn't stop feeling guilty that he'd put her in this position. Then again, it was the geth and this 'Saren' which had started the whole trouble…

"I better add this to my report." Chakwas was saying. "It may-" The sound of the door opening interrupted her. "Captain Anderson."

Kaidan turned to see the older man walking over, a gentleness to his face the sentinel hadn't seen before. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shepard hurriedly slithering off the cot to her feet, and he himself straightened his back, feeling a little embarrassed being caught in here.

"How's our XO holding up, Doctor?" Anderson asked.

"All the readings look normal. I'd say the Commander's going to be fine," she said.

"Glad to hear it." With that, the Captain's tone became serious. "Shepard, I need to speak with you." He gave Kaidan a pointed look. "In private."

"Aye aye Captain." He snapped off a salute. "I'll be in the mess hall if you need me."

As he left with Chakwas, Kaidan got the distinct impression that someone was watching him leave with great interest…

* * *

_What a fucking mess. _Akeelah ran her hands through her hair with a snort of frustration. So much for a typical shakedown run. A colony attacked, led by a Council Spectre with a grudge against humans going rogue with an army of synthetics, who then killed the Council Spectre who was supposedly evaluating her. And the cherry on top was the incredibly rare artifact they'd busted their ass to recover had exploded on her, knocking her out for fifteen fucking hours. Not to mention how flimsy their evidence was when the most concrete evidence was a traumatised dock worker who was also a smuggler.

She wasn't even going to touch the 'vision' the beacon had 'gifted' her.

At least Anderson had understood that she'd done her best with the situation; he always did, and she was thankful the Normandy was under his command.

Shepard stepped out of the med bay, and was pulled from her thoughts by the sight of Lieutenant Alenko lingering near the mess table, looking hopeful that he would catch her. She raised an eyebrow; she'd already told him she didn't blame him for the beacon, so she didn't know what else he would want to say to her. Anderson had already informed her of his recommendation of Williams too, so it couldn't have been that. Still, she walked over to him.

"Lieutenant." She began.

"Commander." He replied, his eyes bright. "I'm glad to see you're okay. Losing Jenkins was hard on the crew, and I'm glad we didn't lose you too."

"Yeah. Things were rough down there." Shepard nodded.

"You never get used to seeing dead civilians. Doesn't seem right somehow.." He shook his head slightly. "But at least you stopped Saren from wiping out the whole colony."

"Maybe, but I couldn't have done it without you," she said. "You and Ash, of course."

"We're marines. We stick together." Kaidan said, in the strangest deflection Shepard had ever heard. "I'm just sorry we lost Jenkins."

Shepard sighed, remembering the young man's crumpled body on the ground of his home planet.

"He didn't deserve that. I wish I could've done something to save him," she said, wringing her hands. Kaidan was shaking his head before she finished.

"I was there, Commander. You did everything right, it was just bad luck."

"I guess." The soldier sighed. "Thanks, Lieutenant. It helps."

"You're welcome, ma'am." A tentative half-smile appeared on his lips, like the smile she'd seen in the med bay. Her heart thumped against her breastbone. He looked so sweet and adorable, and she _was going to shut down that line of thought immediately_.

"It's been a hell of a shakedown cruise," he continued obliviously, "our first mission ends with one Spectre killing another." The biotic's thick eyebrow furrowed. "The Council's not gonna be happy about this. Probably use it to lever more concessions out of the Alliance."

Akeelah raised an eyebrow, surprised that someone other than Anderson was taking a political view of the whole debacle.

"You've got a good grasp of the situation. You a career man?" She asked.

"Yeah." He replied. "A lot of biotics are." When Shepard tilted her head, he elaborated. "We're not restricted, but we sure don't go undocumented." He shrugged. "May as well get a paycheck for it. Besides, my father served. Made him proud when I enlisted. Eventually. But is that why you're here? Because of your family?"

She shook her head, a self-deprecating smile on her lips.

"No. I don't…well, I'm an orphan, basically. I don't know who or where my parents are, or if they're still alive."

Kaidan blinked.

"Oh. I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't mean-" She chuckled, lifting a hand to calm him, finding his stuttering utterly endearing.

"It's alright, Kaidan. I'm alright about it. I've lived enough of my life without them for it not to matter any more. Anyway, if they wanted to see me, they would have contacted me after that mess six years back," she said, shrugging. Kaidan frowned slightly as he thought for a moment.

"Ah, Akuze, right?" The furrows on his forehead smoothed as she nodded. "I imagine that bought you any post in the fleet."

"Yeah. It got me to the Villa, though I'm not sure I deserve it." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Of course." Kaidan nodded. "Word is we're heading for the Citadel, ma'am. Can you…can you tell me why?"

"The Captain hopes the ambassador can get an audience with the Council and tell them what Saren's been up to." Shepard replied, trusting Kaidan's discretion.

"Makes sense." The sentinel nodded. "They'd probably like to know he's not working for them any more."

"Whether they'll believe us is another matter." The soldier said, frowning.

"Whatever happens, we'll be ready, Commander." Kaidan assured her.

"I'm sure. Oh, and Lieutenant?" He raised his eyebrows in askance. "Good idea at recommending Williams to the Normandy. I was going to do so myself, before the beacon punched me in the head. And you did good work down there. I'm glad I had you at my back."

The biotic blinked again, and Shepard thought she could see a faint blush on his cheeks, though it was hard to see such a subtle colour change under the ship lights.

"Th…thank you, ma'am," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. That little half smile was on his lips again, and she had to again crush the line of thoughts about them.

Shepard smiled, turning away to go and look for Ashley to properly introduce her to the crew. As she did, however, she found herself having to resist the temptation to turn around to see if Kaidan was looking after her, and she shook her head quickly. _Not the time or place, you fool. We've got work to do, and it doesn't involve fawning over handsome, well-skilled biotics._

Little did she know, a similar conversation was going on in Kaidan's head, and things were only just beginning.

* * *

**Author's notes: **Thanks for reading and reviewing this fic! I'm getting the feeling multipart fics do not agree with me, especially when I don't have a plan for them. Should probably stick to short ones.

Anyway, from this fic on, as mentioned in my profile, my other Mass Effect fics are gonna go up in any old order, though I have a timeline to keep track them on said profile. Thanks again for reading, and a special thank you to those of you who reviewed. You're the reason I get up and write!


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